The Funeral Style

Chapter Thirty Four

Chapter Thirty Four

"Avril Adler!" My name was shouted throughout the entire building, making me stop dead in my tracks.  

Maggie had dropped me back off at the cemetery only a few moments ago. We had spent the night at the motel eating junk food, and talking about typical things that suddenly seem worthless now.

Elias, with his arms crossed, strode over to me with a not-so-pleasant look on his face.

"Yes, Elias Parity?" I played it off as if I didn't disobey him and leave the cemetery for an entire night without his knowledge on where I went. As if me and my best friend didn't spend the entire night at a motel talking about how Elias Parity could have fallen in love with me, Avril Adler.

"You left without a word." He said, a tone so breathlessly angry. "Where did you go last night? Tell me."

I shrugged, not wanting to pull Maggie into this. "I decided to sleep at a motel, I have told you sleeping alone in a funeral home scares me."

Elias seemed to have to gather his patience, as he took a deep breath before he spoke. "Miss Adler, we agreed that you are not to leave the cemetery under any circumstance without me knowing first."

"You're not my captor, you don't own me."

"Precisely my point," He spoke a bit louder, "You in fact own me, Avril, I am your property, without you, this cemetery goes down, and I sink with it, do you not understand that? How many times must I tell you this to get it through your head?"

I stared at him as he took a step closer, "I don't want to own you, Elias."

"Well too bad," He breathed, "I'm yours." We stood there, only inches apart. Suddenly the feelings of nervousness and wanting filled my being. It felt so foreign, and yet somehow achingly curious as I realized I somehow liked him being so close. I thought about pulling him closer for a moment, but fortunately I couldn't before he shifted away, "Get dressed, and hurry, we have a funeral today, and fix your hair, you're an absolute mess." And just like that, he was out of the room, leaving me slightly light headed from the immediate withdrawal.

My common sense soon came flooding back to me, and I felt a wave of embarrassment as I thought back the odd sensation that came over me. I have never felt like that about Elias before. In fact, it never even crossed my mind that we could be potential lovers.

That damn kiss from yesterday was toxic. -at least, that's my excuse as to why I'm suddenly acting like an idiot girl in front of and idiot man. It's not necessarily the kiss that is alluring me to such a maniac, but the idea that he may want me was enticing me. (Or so, as I said, that is my excuse.)

Either way, there is no chance in hell I'll let myself feel like that again.

No chance at all.

I changed into my usual funeral uniform, and fixed my hair on Elias's demand. When I walked out of the changing room, two maids were running down the hall, almost bumping into me as they passed.

Curious, I followed them.

I was led to the building's sanctuary room where there were two dressed up men standing side-by-side with Elias in front of them. They were talking about something, and so I stood in silence, and waited for them to leave.

I approached Elias, as he watched the men exit through the doors.

"Who were those guys?"

He turned to me, "Have you always pushed yourself in other people's affairs?"

"I'm your fiancé, remember? Your affairs are my affairs now." I gave him a smug grin, but he didn't seem impressed.

"Well in that case, those men were here to confirm our honeymoon. Doesn't a lovely trip to New York City sound ravishing?" His voice was sarcastic, as if he knew he just caught me off guard. It was his turn to display the smug grin that was now wiped off my own face.

"Please don't tell me we are actually going."

"We've not a choice, my dear. The Lancaster's will be joining us on the trip. Believe me when I say I'd rather not leave my cemetery by any means, but we must." He clapped his hands together, "Now let's hurry, we have guests coming in any second and this place is an absolute mess, where are my maids at?"

The rest of the day was a blur. I stood beside Elias throughout the entire funeral service, and after that he told me to stay by his side since he didn't trust me to be by myself and not leave the cemetery. I found myself wishing I hadn't asked Elias who those two men were, because every thought I had was about the wedding, and how I could excuse myself from the honeymoon without making look totally obvious that I didn't want to go.

Elias didn't want to go either, but he didn't seem bothered by any of this.

We both sat in his room, as he leaned back in the wooden chair with his feel propped up onto the old table, and smoked a cigarette that I was pretty sure I was also smoking half of as the smoke kept filling my lungs making me cough. I didn't particularly enjoy these times with Elias, alone in his room, but I also knew he didn't pretend whilst we were alone in here. He wasn't acting, he wasn't Mr. Parity here; he was Elias.

I appreciated the fact that he was comfortable being his honest self here, and allowed me to see it.

I sat quietly, not wanting to think about my previous thoughts about him when he was only a foot away from me. I'm not sure if he felt what I had earlier, but my mind was still stuck on it.

Those damned feelings that I feel guilty for even having, let alone enjoying.

"Humor me," He spoke up between breaths of smoke, "If you've not met me, what would your life be like at this very moment?"

I sat back in my chair, not even fazed by such a random question. I knew he took advantage of these times of us together to pry into my personal life. Little did he know, I did the same. "Probably choosing colleges to go to, reading up on nursing, going on a date with my boyfriend, I'm not quite sure."

"So you would have been a nurse?"

"I keep thinking about it, and yeah, I think that's what I want to be, or, uhh, wanted." He nodded, but said nothing, so I continued, "What about you? If you weren't the owner of this cemetery, what would your life be like at this very moment?"

I found it odd that he answered almost instantly, "I'd be dead, surely."

"How so?"

To that, he grinned, "I have a knack for getting into things I shouldn't. Suppose it weren't for this cemetery of mine, I'd be somewhere else, enraging the people that you dare not should anger. Those who hide in the shadows, yes," He nodded, "I'd be one of them."

"A monster, then?" I said, with a false smile that felt needed now.

"I am a monster." He clarified with another puff of smoke, "I just wouldn't bother hiding it." He was silent for a few moments before spoking up, "You know claiming one to be a monster is such a childish thing. Why is it this world is so obsessed with that word? It's boring, much like what my life would be like without this cemetery."

"It's a word that gets the job done." I stated, as I fanned the air in front of me to rid the smoke from my area of breathing. "Just like how these cigarettes you're smoking are going to put us both in an early grave."

Elias sighed, and dropped the cigarette on the concrete floor and stomped on it. "Speaking of early grave, have you written out your vows for the wedding yet?"

I gawked at him, "What? We have to write vows?"

I noticed a faint look of amusement on his face as he replied, "Well did you think they'd spare us from even a moment of humiliation?" He stood up and grabbed another cigarette, from the cabinet, "You better get writing, my dear, the wedding is in two days."